Online Reporter
Peter Matika [email protected]
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has paid tribute to the late former Vice-President Cde Joseph Wilfred Msika, who died on August 4, 2009, describing him as a selfless nationalist, liberation war stalwart and champion of social justice whose legacy continues to inspire Zimbabwe’s march towards Vision 2030.
In a commemorative message marking the 17th anniversary of Cde Msika’s death, President Mnangagwa called upon Zimbabweans at home and abroad to reflect on the late national hero’s enduring contribution to the liberation struggle, nation-building and socio-economic transformation.
He said the nation joins the Msika family in commemorating the life of a leader who served as Vice-President of Zimbabwe from 1999 to 2009 after dedicating his life to the country’s liberation and development.
President Mnangagwa said the late Msika committed himself wholeheartedly to the liberation of Zimbabwe through nationalist politics and the protracted armed struggle, enduring lengthy periods of incarceration, including detention at Gonakudzingwa, in pursuit of freedom from colonial rule.
He said after Independence in 1980, the late Vice-President remained steadfast in advancing social justice, empowerment and equitable development, particularly through his unwavering support for the Land Reform Programme aimed at uplifting the previously disadvantaged black majority.
President Mnangagwa noted that the commemoration falls during the month when Zimbabwe observes Heroes Day and Defence Forces Day, making it an appropriate time for citizens to honour the sacrifices of liberation icons.
He said Cde Msika embodied the values of struggle, sacrifice and dedicated service to the nation, adding that together with other liberation luminaries, his generation secured the country’s independence and sovereignty for future generations.
President Mnangagwa said the freedom and statehood bequeathed by Cde Msika and his contemporaries remain the greatest inheritance passed on to Zimbabweans, urging citizens to safeguard and build upon that legacy.
He said as the country enters the final stretch of implementing the National Development Strategy and advances towards attaining Vision 2030, Zimbabweans should continue to uphold the principles that defined Cde Msika’s life.
“We continue to uphold the noble values of sacrifice, patriotism, freedom, unity, love and tolerance which Cde Msika espoused,” he said.
President Mnangagwa noted that the late Vice-President and other departed national heroes had sacrificed much for the country and expressed hope that their souls would rest in eternal peace.
He urged Zimbabweans to remain united in preserving the ideals for which these distinguished heroes fought.
“During this month of August when we commemorate the 46th Heroes Day, and celebrate the Defence Forces Day, it is only befitting that Zimbabweans at home and in the diaspora take time to reflect on the life of struggle, sacrifice and service, which the late Vice President Joseph Msika personified.
“Alongside his peers and luminaries of our National Struggle, the late Vice President and his generation bequeathed freedom and statehood to us as a people, itself the priceless gift a generation can ever win and pass on,” said President Mnangagwa.
“As the National Development Strategy enters its final stretch, with our Nation resolutely marching towards the attainment of Vision 2030, we continue to uphold the noble values of sacrifice, patriotism, freedom, unity, love and tolerance which Cde Msika espoused.”
Zimbabwe is on course to achieve Vision 2030, to become an upper-middle-class economy — a status that many of the country’s heroes and heroines sacrificed for as they fought to dislodge the racist Rhodesian regime, which excluded the black majority from key sectors of the economy and treated blacks as second-class citizens.
A bold and fearless nationalist, the Cde Msika embodied that fight not just for racial emancipation, but for the economic inclusion of all Zimbabweans.
“May the soul of the late Vice President, Cde Joseph Wilfred Msika, and indeed the souls of other worthy sons and daughters of this Land, rest in eternal peace,” said the President.
Following the death of Vice-President Joshua Nkomo in 1999, Cde Msika was appointed to succeed him. He served as the Second Vice-President of Zimbabwe from December 23, 1999 until his death on August 4, 2009. At the party level, he also served as Zanu-PF’s Vice President and Second Secretary.
As Vice President, he devoted his energies to supporting the Land Reform Programme, which sought to restore land to its rightful owners. President Mnangagwa noted that Cde Msika was a man of unwavering principles who served Zimbabweans selflessly before and after Independence.
Born on December 6, 1923, Cde Msika died on August 4, 2009, at West End Hospital in Harare at the age of 85. He was laid to rest at the National Heroes Acre on National Heroes Day, August 10, 2009.
Zimbabwe will be commemorating its Heroes Day on August 10. President Mnangagwa will preside over the main event that will be held at the National Heroes Acre in Harare, with parallel commemorations at 10 Provincial Heroes
Acres and 60 District Heroes Acres across the country.
A total of 50 000 heroes, 5 000 from each province, will be honoured this year on the Day that will be commemorated under the theme: “Lest We Forget.”
The theme honours the sacrifices made by Zimbabwe’s liberation fighters in securing the country’s independence from colonial rule and encourages citizens to preserve the history of the liberation struggle.
